Southern Arkansas University Professor of Art Steven Ochs and his ceramics students recently gave hands-on art history lessons to Magnolia kindergarten students.

Ochs and his SAU students headed up the all-day workshop on April 24, 2013. Approximately 230 children at the Magnolia Kindergarten got their hands dirty and worked on clay projects that also gave insight into items created by American Indian tribes that inhabited Arkansas

“We focused on teaching the pottery traditions and techniques of the Caddo and Quapaw Indians of Arkansas,” said Ochs. “The children created pinch pots with incised and appliqued lines, Caddo huts, head pots, effigy figures (animals), and Quapaw houses.”

Ochs said that he was assisted by nine of his ceramic students, plus Lisa VanDonsel, the ceramic lab tech for SAU and ceramic teacher for Magnolia Specialized Services. Liaisons for this project were Pat Leslie of the Magnolia School District and Dr. Jamie Brandon of the Arkansas Archeological Survey.

Projects such as this one have earned SAU a spot on the President’s Community Service Honor Roll for five years in a roll. In 2012, SAU was proud to be the only university in Arkansas to go a step further and be named to the President’s Honor Roll with Distinction. Find out more about how community involvement is at the heart of SAU’s Complete College Experience.